Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:06] Hey, everybody, this is Pastor Chuck Allen, and welcome to a Monday where we're going to talk a little bit this week about how do we actually read and better understand the Word of God? How do we actually understand the Bible? On Easter, we asked people at Sugar Hill Church in the corner gathering about what were some things that you would like for us to teach on from the pulpit. And this was one of the number one answers. I'd like like to know more about how to understand the Bible. So today, let's start this conversation off with the Bible as a living conversation.
[00:00:41] So thanks so much again for joining me on today's weekday podcast. Because today, as we talk about one of my favorite ways to encounter God's Word, it is not something that we master, but it is something that we meet. Think about it this way. Most people treat the Bible like an owner's manual. Flip to the page, it tells you what you want to do, how you want to fix something, how you want to move on. But Scripture isn't an owner's manual. It's a living, breathing conversation.
[00:01:10] When you open your Bible, don't rush to get through a passage. Let the passage get through you. The Bible isn't trying to be conquered. It isn't in need of being decoded. It is trying to be heard from, felt and breathed and lived.
[00:01:28] So in the Scriptures, John 1 says this. In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. And that's not just poetic, that's profound. It reminds us that the Word of God existed long before ink touched paper. So anytime you pick up the Bible, you're actually joining a conversation that started before creation and continues through now on this Monday in 2026. Just pause and think that about that. Just a second. Every time you read, heaven listens. And every time you listen, heaven speaks. But here's the deal.
[00:02:06] Sometimes the Bible comforts, sometimes it confounds, and sometimes it challenges you to see life differently. And honestly, that's exactly what it's supposed to do. If you only ever walk away feeling good after reading, you might be missing something. Because truth doesn't always soothe our soul. Sometimes it stretches us.
[00:02:29] It pulls us toward wholeness.
[00:02:33] Jesus came to show us what God is like. And what God is like is love. But love that's not fluffy or shallow. That is love that digs deep into the mess and says, I'm going to meet you right there.
[00:02:49] When you're reading the Bible and come across something that hits home, something that feels alive, the don't Move past it too quickly, friends, sometimes that's a spirit nudging. Hey, stay here for a second.
[00:03:03] There's something I want you to see, feel and get.
[00:03:08] I think of it like sitting on the porch with someone that you really care about. You don't rush that kind of conversation, right? I mean, you, you let the silence hold its space occasionally. That's how reading the Bible should feel.
[00:03:21] The word speaks when we slow down long enough to listen. Not just read, but listen. Here's a practical way to start. Before you read today, whisper a simple prayer. It could sound something as simple as this. God, I don't just want to read your Word, I want to hear you in it. Let's say that again. God, I don't just want to read your Word, I want to hear you in it. Then pick one short passage, like maybe Psalm 23 or one of Jesus's parables, and read it aloud. Read it slowly. Underline a word or phrase that catches your attention and then say, lord, what are you revealing about yourself here? And then ask, what is it you're actually revealing about me? That's where transformation happens. Not in memorizing verses, but in letting those verses memorize you.
[00:04:14] One of the reasons that I love reading scripture is it is clarity. I mean, I love how ancient truth is accessible in today's language. It's personal. It's like a conversation instead of a lecture. And that's what the Bible has always meant to be. God meeting us in our humanity, in our day to day.
[00:04:36] I know folks in this life that will say, I finally realized the Bible isn't a book of rules.
[00:04:43] It's a book about a relationship. And that realization changes everything.
[00:04:47] We stop approaching Scripture for information and we start approaching it for transformation.
[00:04:53] That's what I hope will happen this week through this series. Because when you let Scripture speak to you, instead of trying to speak at you, amazing and wondrous things start to happen. Peace can replace pressure, and presence can. Presence can replace performance.
[00:05:09] And you can begin to notice the voice of God, not just on the pages, but in every ordinary moment. So today, as you go about your day, remember, God is speaking. Always has been, always will be. The question is, will you listen? Maybe start simple. One verse, one moment, one prayer. Let it unfold like any good conversation, slowly, naturally, and with a heavy dose of curiosity. Because this book, this Bible, it's not static ink.
[00:05:42] It's dynamic life. And when you begin to read it, not to finish it, but to join it, you'll discover that the voice of God has never been confined to the past. It's still echoing through your present.
[00:05:56] I want to thank you for joining me as we started this journey this week and spending a few minutes with me on the weekday podcast. Tomorrow we're going to talk about what happens when you read. Not for right answers, but but for holy wonder. I'm Chuck and I'm so glad you joined me. Grace and peace, my friends. Go in peace today. Bye now.
